Altered Vision
by Kirsten1303
Summary: Through Mephisto's boredom and an unexpected visit from a messenger of the Varden, Rin and his half brother Amaimon are forced on a mission together. With only each other to keep themselves company as they trek through the wilderness, the heat starts to rise; but in more ways than one... Boyxboy, yaoi, possible lemon and obviously RinxAmaimon AmaimonxRin :D
1. Chapter 1

AN: So yeah, this is my first fan fiction... ever. Urgh I'm sorry if it isn't very good :S

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**Altered Vision**

Chapter 1:

*Crunch* Amaimon knew he was in trouble now...

"You bastard!"

"I told you to friggin' move dumb ass."

"Yeah and why the hell would I ever listen to you, broccoli?"

"So your tail doesn't get stepped on teme!"

"How about we have another fight and I can kick your sorry ass again, you seemed to be very interested in my powers ever since you first saw me... or maybe you're _interested_ in something else about me?"

"What are you trying to say douche-wad?"

At this point Mephisto finally decided to step in, using his umbrella, he wacked both the arguing teens on their heads signalling at them to shut up. The two boys both snapped their heads to face Mephisto, glaring at him.

"If only looks could kill..." Mephisto smirked, walking back and plonking himself down in the cushioned office chair where he continued to cross his legs that now rested on the top of the cluttered desk. Nudging the documents and pens that were strewn across the surface, he then took it upon himself to stare intently at the teenager who seemed to squirm under the intense watch of the school's headmaster.

Realising that taking the argument further in front of Mephisto would lead to worse consequences, Rin and Amaimon silently brooded upon the sofa they now shared; Rin nursing his sore tail and Amaimon silently sucking on one of the lollipops he had stolen from Mephisto's desk earlier that day. Neither of them spoke a word nor dared to move a muscle due to the heated scowl they were receiving from Mephisto at that point.

As to why Rin and Amaimon were in the office in the first place was the work of Mephisto himself, he had ordered them there on 'important business' only to find that actually he had become extremely bored and decided it was time to show off his new Clannad kimono to the two manga fans that he knew of. The kimono was made out of white silk with pink cherry blossom and chibi images of Fuki and her beloved carved starfish pasted all over, Amaimon was jealous to say the least especially when it looked like the one Mephisto stole from him a couple of months ago, an eye for an eye though.

"So, was there anything else you needed us for?" Rin muttered, hoping that the change of topic would ease the glare Mephisto still had aimed at him and Amaimon.

Unexpectedly, the question drew a blank for Mephisto; "umm... nope, not really." Taken back by the statement, Rin glanced over at the other teen that was still situated on the couch next to him and was now shooting daggers into his brother's back, since Mephisto had began to stare aimlessly out of the large arch like window, he was completely oblivious of Amaimon's deathly glare and Rin's confused glances.

A short and curt tapping on the window pane caught the three males' attention, hanging there in mid air was another demon. This one was small in size, coal coloured fur grew in clumps on its mangled body and singed black wings sprouted from its crippled back, littered with tears; for its body mass, the wings did not look like they could support the flight of the creature yet it hovered there, peering in through the glass with scrunched up eyes pointing accusingly at Amaimon.

"Urgh that little bugger's back" Amaimon grumbled rolling his eyes.

"Now now little brother, it's probably only here to deliver a message from the Varden. There's no need for you to get your balls in a bunch over the matter... if you have any that is."

With this, Amaimon rose from his seat, once again glaring at Mephisto. Every step closer he took to the grinning demon caused the low growling emerging from his throat to increase in both ferocity and volume. Rin still sat there feeling highly uncomfortable with the whole situation, the need to flee from the room growing stronger with each slowly passing second.

A simple flick of his pale wrist was Mephisto's gesture of overlooking Amaimon's temper tantrum. Without paying the slightest bit more attention to the infuriated demon, Mephisto slid open the Victorian styled window allowing the airborne creature to enter the spacious room, whilst anonymously checking Amaimon for any sign of aggression towards the new comer.

The act only fuelled the raging fire burning within Amaimon's emerald eyes. Yet instead of acting upon the pent up anger, he found himself sitting back down only this time on a separate seat to the one he originally shared with Rin. Taking deep breaths to calm him down, Amaimon looked over at the younger blue eyed demon that seemed in a daze from the events that had only just transpired. He was obviously not accustomed to seeing demons working for the Varden; it was quite a rare sight actually, especially when most people believed the Varden hated the existence of demons and Gehenna. Most of the members wanted to rid the Earth of them completely, those who were born with some form of demonic trait obviously not accounted for.

Carrying on without even a glimpse in the direction of the Rin and Amaimon, Mephisto spoke directly to the lesser demon who hovered by the now open window: "Why have you entered these grounds?" he questioned with a stern yet mischievous voice.

Hearing the hidden malice in those few words sent shivers running up and down the demon's twisted spine, yet he answered with a rough but sturdy voice. "I was sent here to inform you of an upcoming mission involving the akuma no dokutsu."

Upon hearing the last three words Mephisto smirked; "The demon caves? What could possibly involve them; they were completely sealed a few years back." Mephisto then chose to sit back in his office chair watching the messenger, a seed of doubt slowly but surely growing within his cat like eyes that now glowed with a luminous green hue. Whatever the problem was, it couldn't be that serious since the seals placed upon the caves were performed by some of the highest ranking exorcists in the area. No demon had a chance at destroying or even just slipping past the seals, not even Satan himself.

"It seems there is some unusual movement between demons around the caves causing a sense of alarm between some members of the Varden; that is all." Stuttered the creature: "If anything, the Varden would appreciate a couple of low ranking exorcists to check the area out and report back to you, just as a way of receiving some experience on the field and to set the Varden at ease."

Mephisto smirked at the statement knowing exactly who to send on the mission...

Having not paid attention to the two other demons that were originally immersed in conversation, Rin and Amaimon exchanged worried glances after catching Mephisto looking at them through the corner of him eyes with a playful smirk tugging at the corner of him mouth. They both knew this meant trouble, probably for the both of them.

Choosing to avoid the look he was receiving from his brother, Amaimon went back to staring pointlessly at the numerous framed certificates and paintings that hung from the vibrantly coloured walls. Peering round now, Amaimon realised he could list off each one and where they were placed due to the hours of boredom he had spent in this office. The only other thing to occupy his demonic mind were the bags of foreign sweets Mephisto kept hidden, in a not so secret compartment, in the poorly treated desk of his. Mephisto would just become considerably pissed off at the fact that his stash of sweets were rapidly decreasing.

However, it was obvious to Amaimon that Mephisto treasured his life on Earth, being separate to the one both the brothers had back in Gehenna. In Gehenna they were either treated like royalty for being the sons of Satan, the strongest demon in existence, or they were challenged for their power by those envious of them and the status they gained for being born of royal blood. It was much more peaceful on Earth to say the least. Amaimon's feelings of hatred towards Rin and his twin Yukio grew from this fact, raised on Earth and leading the lives of a human until their powers finally manifested.

Once Mephisto finished conversing with the smaller demon he turned in his chair to look straight at Rin and Amaimon. A glint of playfulness shining in his forest green eyes drew in the attention of the teens from what their minds were occupied with before. "If you had bothered to listen, you would have heard that a new mission has opened up."

With this Rin's confused frown grew into that of grin, hinting at the hopefulness swelling inside him of being chosen to go, completely forgetting any thoughts on his previously painful tail. "Who is going on the mission then?" Rin spoke up for the first time since he had shouted at Amaimon for stepping on his tail. Little did he know, the decision had already been made and it wasn't one he was going to like.

Giggling slightly, which attracted weird looks from the boys that were both slouched on the sofas, Mephisto answered: "Well, the little guy over there did say a couple of low ranking _exorcists_, but that would be boring. So instead I'm sending you two on this mission, together. Think it as bonding time between half-brothers. "

The winged demon took this as his signal to leave after catching a glimpse of two enraged looks from the teenagers Mephisto now acquired. Flapping his stubby wings, he disappeared out the window he had entered through; out into the fresh, spring time air.

Sharing the same looks; Rin and Amaimon faced Mephisto head on and shouted in unison: "You're FUCKING joking right?"

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2nd AN: Any constructive criticism kind of review would be helpful especially if it is to point out any mistakes in this chapter. Ohh and I plan to update weekly :D hope that is to people's liking.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: I don't like or ever listen to One Direction... *pukes* I just thought that it would be a good piece of black mail for Amaimon to have over Rin for later chapters. (If you know what I mean) ;) Mwuhahaha!

Chapter 2:

"Come on nii-san, think of it as bonding time. He is our half brother after all."

"That's exactly what bloody Mephisto said." Rin replied sounding rather exasperated.

"Well maybe he is right then, and come on brother; show some respect for your elders."

"I'll show some respect for your arse in a minute."

"Um... what?" stuttered an obviously embarrassed Yukio.

"Jeez, this is turning out just like it did in Mephisto's office. Don't suddenly tell me you are actually a demon and sprout a tail, you would end up being like Amaimon and that... that would be scary!"

Yukio, Rin's younger twin brother, blushed at the previous two statements that Rin had replied to him with. Pushing his darkly framed glasses further up his nose, Yukio persisted in trying to shove the remaining _essentials_ Rin had chosen, into the rucksack. To Rin's disappointment the manga volumes he had planned to take along with him had nowhere to go so he had had to leave them in a pile by his rumpled bed. To him this was like removing a teenage girl's phone – for over a whole fucking week!

Lucky for Rin, it was now the beginning of April meaning the weather was becoming slightly better compared to that of previous months. This also meant that Rin didn't have to pack as much as he would have had to have done earlier on in the year making the load lighter when travelling since anything else would have had to go in another bag.

Running through the content of the rucksack in his head as a way of checking that everything was there, Yukio finally turned to watch his older brother who was lying on his belly across his bed with his nose in one of the unpacked manga books. At least he is getting some reading in: thought Yukio, a knowing smirk playing on his lips.

Sensing the watchful gaze of the brunette, Rin rolled over to return the stare with a questioning look. "What is it?" Rin asked ending the staring contest by turning back to the dog-eared manga in his hands.

After a dragged out pause he turned back to looking at his brother who had taken it upon himself to remove everything from the bag. Shocked, Rin swiftly got up from where he was lying and tugged the rucksack on top of his own crumpled bed sheets. "Since it is only you and Amaimon going on this mission, you should pack your own bags. You know, become more independent."

Rin's eyes widened at this: "But... but nii-san, you love me!" he wined, grinning when the younger teen halted in his path towards the door.

Turning his head to the side so he could see his brothers hopeful face: "True, but as I said I won't always be there for you." With that Yukio walked out the door, slowly clicking it shut leaving a dumb founded Rin frozen to the spot in the middle of the shared bedroom.

Once Rin had finished re-packing his rucksack managing to squeeze in a copy of Kuroshitsuji, he made his way through the deserted halls in the direction of the canteen. His shoes slapped against the dusty, yellowed tiles that covered the floor of the dormitories, the noise echoed off the walls warning the people in the canteen that he was approaching.

As Rin drew closer to the cafeteria he could hear the clangs of metal and the muted banter between the other occupants of the building, muffled by the closed door that now stood in front of him. Pushing it open and stepping in, he found himself instantly tackled to the ground and blindfolded by what felt and sounded like an over enthusiastic Bon. Rare as that was.

"Oww you bugger, what was that for?" Rin questioned the attacker knowing full well he could easily push his bulkier and taller class mate off of his lean figure that was now pinned to the ground.

From what Rin could hear it was Shiemi who hurried over now, her green eyes darting between the two teenagers that were now sprawled out on the floor, one seeming to completely overpower the other. "Yukio-chan said you were busy packing for the mission so we thought we had longer to get things ready." Rin frowned not knowing what she meant by getting things ready but motioned for her to continue. "... You know, because you're not um... particularly fond of doing that sort of stuff so we thought it would take you a while longer." Blushing from having to be so forward, she then giggled awkwardly after glancing at Rin's half covered scowl as he lay on the floor by her sandaled feet.

Bon finally removed himself from the obviously annoyed teen he was previously straddling, standing up he began to turn away only to then face back towards the grounded teenager. Strong calloused hands now gripped onto Rin's legs stopping him from sitting up as whoever it was, most likely Bon, dragged him back into the hallway from which he had just exited. His butt squeaked as it slid across the flooring drawing a burst of laughter from everybody in the room. Once he had been dumped further down the hall away from where all his friends were including Bon who had walked back in, Rin removed the black cloth that had been used to cover his eyes with his now freed hands that had begun to tingle due to Bon pinning them down just seconds earlier.

Five minutes later; Rin was still slumped against the chipped wall opposite the entrance to the canteen picking away flakes of sludge coloured paint. Watching the flecks float lifelessly towards the ground was his only source of amusement as he waited as patiently as possible to be let back in with his class mates, all he had wanted to do was quickly make some instant ramen, pork flavoured as well and they were the ones preventing him from doing so.

"_Ohhhh ohhhh you've got that one think,_

_Get out, get out, get out of my head,_

_And fall into my arms instead_" Rin was considerably bored now.

"Wow little brother I would never place as a One Direction fan... well, they do say you discover something new about a person every day. Whoever _they_ are..." Rin jumped upon hearing Amaimon's snarky entrance not remembering ever hearing him approach or sit himself down on the mould scattered window sill that was placed just left to Rin's unruly hair covered head.

Striking the best ninja pose he could muster whilst in a sitting position, Rin glared at the vaguely amused looking Amaimon: "Don't sneak up on me ass hat. Ohh and don't call me brother, we're only related through Satan being our biological father, nothing else."Rin began to get defensive now, not liking Amaimon using the term brother around him. Only Yukio could do that for he was his twin and had known him all his life, they had shared their experiences and hardships, friendship had always been the biggest strength in their bond. He had had nothing like that with Amaimon, to be precise; they had been complete strangers, oblivious to each other's existence up until a few months ago.

"Fine, how long have you liked One Direction then?" Amaimon asked brushing off Rin's angered reply to his previous remark, smirking when the blue eyes teen growled with annoyance, his own green eyes narrowing as Rin's hand went to wrap around the golden handle of the uncovered Kurikara, the demon slaying sword that lay on the ground parallel to his splayed out legs. "Come on, you don't seriously want to piss off Mephisto by destroying this crappy dorm more than it already is?" Amaimon concluded, hoping that the mention of annoying Mephisto would prevent Rin from doing anything too irrational.

"Rin!" a high pitched voice echoed inside the black haired boys head, Rin instantly recognised the call of his familiar, Kuro. Seeing the cat like demon nudge the canteen door open with its small horns located on the top of its furry head, he stood up brushing off his baggy black jeans, dismissing the conversation that had just been shared between himself and Amaimon. As short and irrelevant it had been.

Facing the cat sith Rin began to speak: "Hey Kuro, what's up with you it's not time for food yet." Sudden realisation hit him causing him to question to cat further; "Hehh... how come you're allowed in the cafeteria when I'm stuck out here with this idiot?" he glared accusingly at his familiar expecting a half decent explanation from the now embarrassed demon that seemed to shrink under the heated look.

Kuro then leapt into the air with excitement once remembering why he was sent out there, his two midnight black tails swishing side to side: "It's a surprise Rin! You're allowed to come in now though." The smaller demon enthused, wrapping his body around one of Rin's legs as a show of affection to his owner as well as a question of forgiveness.

Rin's face lit up at hearing this news; after sitting in the empty corridor for over five lengthy minutes his attention span had burnt out. Amaimon hadn't help helped relieve him of the anxiety brought on with the hope of seeing what was happening in the canteen that now shrouded his thoughts. Baring in mind that his attention span had always been quite deficient and had dwindles further with the awakening of him demonic powers, it wasn't much of a surprise that picking crackled paint off the unkempt wall had been the centre of his attention as he waited to be let back in to the bustling room.

Not waiting to see if Kuro or Amaimon were following, Rin rushed back into the other room, bracing himself for another round of glomping off Bon that luckily never came. Instead he was met with the smiling faces of his friends and twin brother who stood round a large oval shaped table cluttered with different plates of food. Rin subconsciously wiped his chin for any escaping drool after spotting his favourite dish: Sukiyaki placed in the centre with steam wafting off the assortment of food choices.

After recovering from the shock of seeing so much delicious looking food, he glanced back up at everybody in the room and asked: "Guys, what's all this for? I'm only going for around a week even if it is with that idiotic twat."

Amaimon heard this from the hallway but decided not to retort to the obviously offensive comment, instead he muttered under his breath: "I thought you were always called the idiot round here." Kuro chuckled at this although trying to hide it from the green haired demon who was currently flashing a pleased grin down at Rin's familiar.

Inside the canteen Yukio decided to step forward now, his eyes held a sympathetic look as he glanced from Rin to Amaimon who had just entered through the swinging door along with a sheepish Kuro. "Like you said, you're spending a whole week maybe more, away from everyone you know, which you've never done before nii-san. We just thought it would be nice to send you off like this since you go in around..." he checked his watch, "three hours... Then I get the whole bedroom to myself." Yukio smirked at this fact, knowing he would get a not so happy response from his brother.

"Pfft well at least I'm getting experience in exorcism whilst doing this mission whilst you're stuck here teaching this lot." Rin retorted; checking Yukio's reaction to this, only to find him with a friendly smile still plastered on his face.

"Don't forget though, I'm already a middle first class exorcist whilst you're still an exwire."

This time Rin didn't have anything to reply with, knowing his brother would end up winning the argument if it was taken any further, so instead he decided to drop the subject with a curt: "Humph."

Having not checked the time, Rin hadn't realised that it was already nearing eleven o'clock; two o'clock being when Mephisto said he and Amaimon had to have set off by. Finally noticing what Yukio said in the first place had shocked Rin who hadn't noticed that the hours had passed so quickly, the time for him and Amaimon had to leave for the mission drawing scarily closer.

Looking round at the others in the room, Rin silently checked for the agreement between everyone for them all to start eating the pile of food centred on the table. Knowing that the plate of Sukiyaki was what Rin was after, his class mates completely avoided the dish allowing him alone to pick chunks of food off of it.

Once everyone had sat down and started up their conversations with each other, he peered over his shoulder towards the door to check if Amaimon had joined in with the feast. To his surprise, the demon leant against the wall cautiously watching the other teenagers as they ate. Rin waved his hand towards the slumped male as a way of inviting him to join in, not wanting to draw attention to himself and his random act of kindness towards his supposedly hated half brother. He then went back to his plate of food after seeing Amaimon push off from the wall and make his way over to the table.

Without warning the green haired demon plonked his bottom down in the chair situated next to Rin, slinking his arm over the tensed shoulders of the unknowing male next to him, an amused smile spread when sneaking a peek at the sneer that was beginning to form on the other's pale face. He then took the act further by pinching a piece of chicken off his plate, slapping away Rin's hand as it tried to block his path to his dish. This annoyed Rin further, the boiling anger that had built up inside that was all aimed at the one person seated next to him, was about to spill over.

After chewing the morsel of food slowly and swallowing, he began to speak: "So _brother_, you don't hate me as much as you try to put across to others?"

Oh how wrong he was at that moment in time...

2nd AN: The next chapter may not be up for a while since I am going to Scotland with family for a week but I do promise to upload as soon as possible. Please review in the mean time, just point out anything wrong in the chapter, thank you to the people who reviewed the last chapter, its fun to read and reply to them.

Trying to keep to the character's personalities is harder than I thought it would be as well, I'm always reading fan fiction and thinking oh they should have made them do/say this as it would fit the character better... I'm sorry TTATT I take back anything negative I ever thought about that subject towards another story. Long... long... loooong author notey thingy!

Question to those who are bothering to read my crappy drabble: Where do you think this story is going?


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Jeez, these chapters just keep getting longer, I just hope that that is what the people who read this actually want or in the least don't mind. :P Ohh and I didn't really mention before but obviously their 'relationship' needs a lot of building so that will have to be somehow included soon, just not in this chapter, sorry!

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Chapter 3:

Standing by the school's gates was beginning to bore Rin; he had chosen to leave the only copy of manga with him in his rucksack for later on in the journey. Instead he had once again resorted to peeling the paint off of the old school gates, having been texted saying he needed to wait there by Mephisto earlier that day. Rin's actions drew an uncharacteristic chuckle from the equally bored Amaimon. "Please don't start singing One Direction again; I don't think my ears can stand it." His voice consisted of an amused yet serious tone as Amaimon tilted his head to look at the other male whose gaze was also focused on him, forgetting the flecks of black paint that previously interested Rin.

"Just 'coz my singing is too awesome for you." The false arrogance lined Rin's voice as he grinned back. He had better get used to Amaimon sooner or later otherwise the next week would be a living hell for him, for the both of them.

The exchange of looks was interrupted by the sound of crunching footsteps upon the gravel that covered the seemingly endless driveway that lead to the True Cross Academy. Both of the teen's heads turned to see the school's head teacher Mephisto taking his time to strut down the drive, coming to a stop around a meter in front of Rin and Amaimon, leaving room for him to swivel his patched up pink umbrella around a gloved finger, his other hand was used to tilt his uniquely styled top hat as a sign of greeting to the two.

The gesture reminded Rin that he had forgotten to pack a hat to protect him from the moderate glare that shone from the sun at this time of year. Hopefully he wouldn't need it since of their journey to the Demon Caves was through dense forestry areas, plus he didn't have the space in his bag nor the time to go back to the dormitories, especially when Mephisto now stood before him.

Still keeping his distance from the lethally sharp ended umbrella that continued to spin upon Mephisto's finger; Rin pushed up off the gate he was leaning against during his period of boredom, not wanting to seem rude to the head teacher. It wasn't that he cared for people's opinions of him, but he didn't want to destroy the chances of going on other missions just because of his lack of respect and deemed appropriate mannerism.

However, Amaimon made no move to show he had acknowledged his brother who was now looking at him expectantly. Mephisto only remark to that was: "A simple hello would suffice." Amaimon didn't rise to the comment, his mouth staying in the semi permanent straight line. The only change in emotions for him was when he was pissed off or pissing someone else off; either way, it normally ended in bedlam. Mephisto being the person who stood there and watched the chaotic events unravel around him.

It was now nearing 2:30, since Mephisto had taken his time to arrive at the gates; Rin had become anxious to set off. Only because he knew that the sooner they left, the sooner they would return, allowing Rin to read his beloved manga and cook in the comfort of the dormitory's kitchen with Ukobach as company. The kitchen dwelling demon was being left in charge of cooking the meals for the other occupants whilst Rin was absent.

Rin giggled quietly at the thought of his friends having to endure Mephisto's cooking instead; the action drawing a blank expression to be thrown at him by Amaimon who was glancing over his shoulder at the sobering demon, his head tilted in a dog like manner.

Mephisto chose this moment to clear his throat louder than what was natural, dragging the two younger demon's attention back to his flamboyantly dressed self. Ignoring Amaimon, he then took a step closer to Rin, the umbrella stationary in his hand. His eyes bore into that of Rin's blue ones: "Now that you have finished acting like a mentally deranged human, per say. I would appreciate it if you left the Kurikara in Shura's and my care whilst you are gone?" His voice held no hint of a questioning tone, the seriousness shocking Rin until realisation hit: without that katana, his flames were limited, subdued to a much smaller portion of their original power.

Finding the question to be irrational and forgetting about being polite, Rin instantly opposed the idea. "How the hell can you expect me to leave the Kurikara with you when you know I'm not strong enough without it?"

"You are only checking the caves for a reasonable solution to the strange movements of lesser demons in that area, not getting yourself into any other situations in which you are requested to fight using your blue flames. Also, you have Amaimon travelling with you so any problems that arise can be sorted by him." Mephisto explained; his voice calm and emotionless along with his facial features. Rin, however, was the opposite; his face contorted with anger as he fought he urge to grab his superior by the collar, the boiling rage engulfing his body.

Amaimon avoided making any form of eye contact with the two, not wanting to annoy Rin further with his unneeded involvement in the currently one sided argument, not that he was interested in how Rin felt about the matter. He also stayed away for the fact that Mephisto would instantly include him at any giving moment if believed that he was needed to keep the argument in the track of his own will. Instead, he took up the action Rin had been involved in only five minutes earlier: peeling the paint off of the gates much to his older brother's obvious dislike. All the time Rin and Mephisto continued on with their heated disagreement.

A vicious glint shined in Mephisto's emerald eyes, a clawed finger soundlessly tapping the handle of the umbrella, and yet his tone of voice still remained emotionless; each individual action noticed infuriated Rin further. He just wanted his head teacher to understand that he needed the Kurikara with him at all times. The old man himself had told Rin that, just before Satan had possessed him, murdered him in cold blood. An idea suddenly formed in Rin's mind: why couldn't he use that special key to lock away the blade but still access it, as long as there was a way to when needs be.

Relaying the idea to Mephisto, Rin crossed his fingers behind his back hoping that the demon would agree, if not Rin was seriously considering the idea of grabbing the other man and shaking him until he forfeited. Sadly, he knew Mephisto would never let him get away with that; but it was worth a shot.

To Rin's luck he went on to say: "Good idea, you're finally using your head, I see." A smirk stretched across Mephisto's face even though Amaimon continued to tune out of the conversation.

"Eh... I've always used my head, just some times more than others, stupid demon." Rin attempted to defend himself but ended up trailing off nearer the end.

Mephisto placed a hand upon his chest, faking offence: "Stupid demon? Don't forget, you are a 'stupid demon' as well. A 'stupid demon' that I have chosen for this mission, I could have easily asked someone else though..." Rin knew this was just Mephisto trying to put him in his place but played along with it, secretly hoping that the threat was only that of an empty one, not that he could particularly change his mind now.

"Fine... so how would I access the Kurikara given that the mission involves us trudging through bloody trees for most of the time?" Rin had found a problem within his plan and knowing Mephisto, he would have some form of an answer. Mephisto always did; just not always agreeable ones at that. Judging by Mephisto's reaction; the older man had already thought about the situation but had decided to keep quiet which again annoyed Rin.

Instead of answering straight away, Mephisto removed a silky white glove to reveal long blackened nails that sprouted from the end of his pale fingers. Snapping two together, an intricately decorated oak box appeared on his outstretched palm, making Rin jump back in surprise. Before Rin could question him about the little magic trick, Mephisto spoke addressing him: "The specific containment of the Kurikara does not matter, so long as there is enough room to place it in through the opening and pull it back out..." Mephisto paused to check that the other demon was following the lengthy explanation. "As long as you are in possession of the key and this box, you can just reach in and drag the blade out by the handle and put it back in the same way: like Mary Poppins." At the last line Mephisto grinned, hoping that the mention of a movie would hold some interest for Rin; make him remember the information for a slightly longer time, since it was quite a well known film Rin seemed to have watched it before based on his expression.

"Urgh... sounds simple enough." At this, Rin reached out and grabbed the small wooden box, trying to mercilessly stuff it into the side pocket on his rucksack, to no avail due to the difficulty with the sizes. Amaimon stared aimlessly at the demon still involved in the process of forcing the box into the pocket, not bothering to move a single muscle to help.

Once Rin had finally shoved the item into the tightly packed bag that was now slung back over his shoulder; Mephisto uncrossed his legs and said: "I'm guessing that you've managed to pack everything you will most likely need for going on the mission, anyway, I'll let you get on your way. Have fun!" Before Rin could say anything back, he had transformed back into the snowy white dog with a simple: "eins... zwei... drei..." and began to trot away in the direction he had first appeared in.

"... Have fun? I'm stuck with you for the next week!" With this said, Rin pointed at Amaimon, an accusing glare aimed in the same area.

Amaimon didn't even glance in Rin's direction upon hearing the remark; instead he continued to look up at the blossoming cherry tree that stood in front of him, the branches slightly above head height. Amongst the pastel pink petals and dark, bark covered branches sat Kuro who was mewling away at the green haired demon, immersed in conversation. Seeing his familiar there talking to Amaimon caused numerous questions to pop into Rin's head: _why was he there instead of at the dormitories, why was he talking to that other demon and how come he hadn't said anything to Rin himself?_

The same accusing look was now thrown at Kuro who had flinched slightly upon acknowledging his master's presence. "Traitor..." the word came out as a faint whisper through Rin's pursed lips. The cat's eyes widened after hearing it, scrambling down the side of the tree and sitting inquisitively by the teenager's feet, his ears twitching. His eyes starred into that of the teen's blue ones, begging for forgiveness that he knew was inevitable.

"No, don't do that... stop... nope!" Rin desperately attempted to use his hands as a way of blocking his view of the familiar but to no avail, each time he succeeded the cat would move his head ever so slightly so that he had a clear view of his master's face once again. Getting bored of the game, Kuro decided to grow into his original form, towering over Rin with his sorrow filled eyes bearing down on the now much smaller demon.

For the second time that afternoon Rin stepped back in surprise, his eyes darting around frantically for any sign of students or teachers who would be able to bear witness to the unusual situation. Giving up on trying to avoid Kuro's apologetic looks, Rin placed his two hands back into his trouser pockets and took a step forward towards the cat like demon who was now smiling down at him knowingly. "Little bugger, you're forgiven. Just get back into your smaller form before you end up smashin' something, not that I would mind, it would seriously piss off Mephisto."

Kuro shrank back to a roughly reasonable size and launched himself onto the boy's shoulders causing an amused chuckle to come from Rin as the cat purred with a satisfied tone. Rin spoke again to the cat resting on his shoulder: "um... aren't you supposed to be back at the dorms since Yukio is going to be watching you for me?" The cat yawned and stretched his front paws, his needle like claws pawing at the black shirt that hung loosely on Rin's noticeably scrawny frame.

"But Rin, why can't I come with you?" The question struck a blank for Rin; he hadn't been told he could take anybody nor had he been told he couldn't. A grumbling sound emanating from Kuro's stomach caught Rin's attention though.

Knowing that bringing his familiar could be considered a factor causing a distraction for him making the mission take longer than needed, he tried to let Kuro know in the simplest way possible, not quite honestly portraying his thoughts: "Because you need someone to give you your food, I promise I will bring you back a big bottle of cat-nip sake though." He paused checking the cat's agreement to what he was saying, to his astonishment he was met with an excited look and Kuro's two tails swishing deliriously, tickling Rin's ear with soft stands of fur. Rin was expecting a slightly different response, one which included Kuro in a strop with him.

_This is the result of mentioning a bottle of cat-nip sake_: Rin realised.

Reaching into his trouser pocket, Rin pulled out his phone flipping it open to check the time. He was shocked to see it was already closing in to 3 o'clock signalling that he and Amaimon probably needed to get going if they wanted to get a fair distance and have time to set up camp. Shoving the device back in his pocket and turning his head to face Kuro: "I'm sure Yukio will give you a tin of tuna once you get back" He suggested, hoping that his reasoning would be to the cat's liking.

"Yep!" The black and white cat chirped jumping down from his master's shoulders. Rin then took the time to look over at Amaimon who seemed to have been speculating the whole event; he also appeared to have known it was time to leave as he was standing slightly slouched by the gates, sucking on an unwrapped lollipop that he held with one sharp nailed hand.

Without another thought and a sudden burst of energy Rin shouted "Let's do this shit!" and set off running, grabbing the world-weary looking Amaimon, dragging him along by the collar. With not even a single hint of disdain he sprang up, grabbing the top of the gate and using it to power his pivot into the air; all with the other demon still in tow.

A soft _thump _sounded as Rin landed on his feet; having released the other man's collar in mid flight, he used his outstretched arms to keep the little balance he had. The same could not be said for the now extremely irritated Amaimon who had not had the chance to gain any form of balance and ended up in a writhing lump on the dry earth. Rin however found the whole situation to be quite comical, laughing when a muffled moan originated from Amaimon.

Pulling himself up and dusting his clothed off, Amaimon scowled at Rin: "Why couldn't you have just opened the gate like a normal person and saved me the trouble that caused?" His face still held no hint of an emotion other than the look of pure annoyance that was aimed straight at the retreating teenage boy.

"That wouldn't have got the reaction from you that I just got then." Rin yelled sprinting off down the dirt track searching for some cover before the other man launched his ever impending attack. Unlike the response Rin was expecting, Amaimon slowly walked down the path he had just disappeared down, kicking up clouds up dust and small fragments of rock with each heavy footstep, the trail leading closer and closer towards the Akuma no Dokutsu. Towards their new fate...

* * *

AN: Wow... well that was kind of boring but this chapter is late so I'll upload it and probably change it when I have time and some idea of what to write.

The next chapter may not be up for nearly two weeks since I have some important exams at school at the moment that is seriously taking the piss! Why did I choose German as a GCSE? TTATT


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